Rights defenders call on Belarus not to send Murad Amriev to Russia

The State Border Committee of Belarus has confirmed the detention of athlete Murad Amriev, who complained about torture and threats of blood feud against him in Chechnya. Human rights defenders have appealed to the Belarusian law enforcement agencies with a request not to send Murad Amriev to Russia.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 4, in the Bryansk Region, Murad Amriev was detained on the charge of using a forged document. The police released Murad Amriev, but he was cordoned off by law enforcers in masks. However, he managed to escape. According to the "Novaya Gazeta", Amriev was cordoned off by Chechen special forces. On June 8, Murad Amriev was detained by border guards in the Belarusian city of Dobrush.

The detention of Murad Amriev was confirmed by Anton Bychkovsky, the spokesperson of the State Border Committee of Belarus. According to him, the athlete was detained at 5:24 p.m. on June 7 at the Veselovka border checkpoint.

Murad Amriev was going to leave Belarus for Ukraine, reports Anton Bychkovsky as quoted by the "Belarus Today".

Lawyers of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture have sent appeals to the Prosecutor's Office for the town of Dobrush, the Prosecutor's Office for the Gomel Region, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Belarus to prevent Murad Amriev's transfer to Russia. According to the lawyers, that can result in irreversible consequences for the athlete, such as torture or murder, reports the message posted on the website of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture.

In their appeals, the human rights defenders also call on the authorities to let advocate Pyotr Zaikin to visit Murad Amriev and ensure the athlete's safety in the territory of Belarus.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.